Hitler Takes up TelevisionJanuary 1935 Radio-Craft

Wax nostalgic about and learn from the history of early electronics.
See articles from Radio-Craft,
published 1929 - 1953. All copyrights are hereby acknowledged.

I am constantly amazed when
reading stories about how easily Adolph Hitler rose to power in Germany by encouraging and exploiting resentment
of his countrymen over being forced, among other concessions outlined in the
Treaty of Versailles, to disarm
militarily and make reparations for atrocities committed in World War I. Part of the
Nazi(National Socialist)
party success was extensive use of propaganda via print, radio, and the relatively new technology of television.
Government exercised complete control over the mainstream media (i.e., not 'underground')
by dictating content that promoted the proclaimed virtues of Nazism and the
Aryan race and the vices of just about every
other form of government and race (particularly Jewish). At the height of Hitler's
reign of terror during the Third Reich
era, radio and television sets were only permitted to use crystals tuned to state-sponsored channels; to be caught
possessing crystals for other frequencies meant certain death - often at the hands of the infamously cruel
Gestapo. A large portion of the German population
had no idea what the true status of the war was, and were taken completely by surprise when news of defeat finally
came.

"The Sound of Music" is an excellent
film that depicts the beginning days of Hitler's 'peaceful' invasion of Austria, where he calmly assured the citizens
that if they liked their country, they could keep their country (something about that kind of promise by
a
politician sounds eerily familiar). It is one of my favorite movies.

Hitler Takes up Television

The latest move in Germany is the establishment of a huge network of television transmitters for disbursing propaganda.

Within the past month, Radio-Craft has received a report that Chancellor Hitler is preparing a huge network of
television stations in Germany which will probably be used as an aid to broadcasting as a medium for disbursing
Nazi propaganda.

As mentioned in the report; Hitler's plan includes the making of cheap television sets available throughout the
country. This will make Germany the first nation to establish extensive television programs on a large scale.

Short waves will be employed for these transmissions, so that the required number of channels can be obtained.
In this way, with numerous stations properly spaced, it is expected that even the outlying districts will be adequately
covered.

Television transmitters manufactured by the Baird Television Co. of England are said to have been ordered by
the German officials. These transmitters are of special design to cover the conditions required for each individual
installation. They include sound facilities as well as the vision units, so that the voices of Hitler and his Nazi
orators will be heard, in addition to visualizing the speakers, themselves.

While no actual data is available regarding the type of receivers which will be merchandised, it is expected
that only a single design, approved by the government, will be manufactured by all the manufacturers. This is in
line with the present plan in Germany to make "Hitler's own" receiver (a set of small size, and relatively insensitive
so that only local programs can be picked, up) the distinctive set. Thus, the citizens of Germany will be prevented
from hearing the powerful transmitters of Russia and other foreign countries from which undesirable programs might
be heard.

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